Cutting-tool.



PATENTED JULY 14, 1903.

C. T. RIDGELY. CUTTING TOOL. APPLIOATION FILED Nov. 21. 1902.

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IlNiTED STATES Patented July 14, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES T. RIDGELY, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE RIDGELY TRIMMER CO., OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIR GINIA.

CUTTING-TOOL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 733,51 1, dated July 14, 1903.

Application filed November 2l, 1902. Serial No. 132,214. (No model.) l

To all whom, it 77mg/ concern;

Beit known that I, CHARLES T. RIDGELY, a citizen of theUnited States,residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio,

have invented certain newrand useful Improvements in Cutting-Tools, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to cutting-tools, and

ro more particularly to that class adapted for use as trimming-tools for wall-paper and the like.

The present invention is in the nature of an improvement upon the construction set forth in Letters Patent Nos. 533,374 and 533,375, granted to me January 29, 1895, and has for its object, among other things, to provide an improved bearing for the rotary disk cutter whereby the durability of the tool and zo the accuracy of the cut may be improved.

To these and other ends theinvention consists in certain novel features, which I will now proceed to describe and will then particularly point out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tool embodying my invention viewed from one side thereof. Fig.

2 is an elevation viewed from the opposite side. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line .fr of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken on the line y y of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows, and Fig. 5 is a plan view illustrating the manner of using the tool.

In its general structural features the tool resembles that set forth in my prior Letters Patent hereinbefore referred to. It comprises two main parts-to wit, a gage 1 and head 2. The gage has its base portion arranged to rest on and engage laterally with a guiding strip or rule 3 andhas a vertical portion 4, having a vertical plane surface 5 upon its front side, which when the device is in op- 4 5 eration is coincident with the vertical straight edge 6 of the guidingstrip 3. This plane vertical face is centrally cut away, as indicated at 7, both to give lightness and to accommodate the head of the retaining-screw which 5o fastens the cutter-disk on its arbor. This cut-away space 7 is, however, of less diameter than the fiat face of said cutter-disk. The central portion of the gage lis also cutaway at the bottom, as indicated at 8, and provided with an upwardly-extending notch or opening 9 to give access to the retaining-screw just referred to. The head 2 is also provided with a vertical plane surface 10, which fits and abuts against the plane surface 5 of the gage, and said head is pivotally connected with the gage at one end by means of a pivotscrew ll, surrounded by a coiled spring 12, the ends of which engage the head and gage, respectively, said spring tending to lift the free end of the head. At its other end the head is Vprovided with a grooved slot 13, through which passes a screw 14, which is threaded into the gage, the head of said screw serving to hold the free end of the head 2 against the gage and said screw serving as 7o a'stop to limit the upward motion of the head under the influence of the spring 12. The head 2 is provided in its inner or rear face with a recess 15 to receive the cutting-tool 16, and from the central portion of said head there extends outward or forward a hollow boss 17, preferably cylindrical in form, closed at its outer end and open at its inner end and forming a bearing for the arbor 18 of the cutting-tool. 'lhe cutting-tool is provided with a flat or plane face 19, which lies substantially in the plane of the meeting faces of the head and gage, the other face of said cutter being beveled in the usual manner. The cutting-disk is secured to the arbor 18 by means 85 of a retaining-screw 20, passing through the disk and into the end .of the arbor, in which it is threaded, or said disk may be secured to said arbor in any other suitable manner, so as to rotate along with the same. Preferably the arbor 18 is provided at its outer end with a reduced portion 18, thereby forming a shoulder on the arbor against which the cutting-disk abuts, and said reduced'portion 18a is of less length than the thickness of the 95 cutting-disk, so that the head of the screw bears against the exposed face of the cuttingdisk and forces said disk against vthe shoulder, so as to hold it iirmly in position on the end of the arbor without requiring the use of roo a jam-nut to prevent the parts from becoming loosened. VVben the boss or bearing 17 is provided with a closed outer end, as indicated at 2l, which is the construction which I prefer, said closed outer end forms an abutment which limits the movement of the arbor longitudinally in its bearing in one direction,

while tbe plane face 5 of the gage by coming in contact with the plane face of the cuttingdisk li mits the longitudinal movement of said arbor in the opposite direction. In this way the cutting edge of the disk is maintained in the meeting plane of the two parts of the tool-to wit, the gage and bead-which plane is substantially the plane of the guiding edge of the guiding strip or roller 3. I prefer to give to the end of the arbor which abuts against the closed end 21 of the bearing 17 a rounded or spherical shape, as indicated at 22, and to give to the surface of the closed end 2l, against which the arbor abuts, a conical shape, as indicated at 23. I may also provide in the boss or bearing 17 an opening 24, which may serve for the introduction of a suitable lubricant, and this opening may be threaded to receive a screw 25, fitting therein. Under some circumstances it is desirable to maintain the connection between the cuttingdisk and its arbor and the head when these latter have been removed from the gage, and in such a case lthe screw 25 may extend into an annular groove 26, formed around the arbor 1S.

The closed outer end 2l of the boss or bearing 17 is integral with the cylindrical body thereof, and its outer surface is smooth and continuous with the outer surface of said body, presenting no projections or sharp edges which might tend to injure the hand of the operator or scratch or become entangled with his garments or the material operated on. Said closed end forms a protection for the end of the revolving arbor which carries the cutting-tool, so thatit cannot come into contact with the operators fingers or any other object, and at the same time furnishes, as hereinbefore stated, a fixed abutment or end thrust-bearing for the end of said arbor.

In order to facilitate the removal of the cutter from the arbor, I may form diametrically through the arbor an aperture 27, which registers with the aperture 24 in the sleeve when the arbor is turned to a proper position for this purpose, and I may also provide the sleeve 17 with a second aperture 2S, diametrically opposite the aperture 24. Vhen this construction is employed, it will be seen-that a pin or piece of stiff wire or other suitable instrument may be passed through the three apertures 24, 27, and 2S when they are in line, thus preventing rotation ofthe arbor in its bearing, whereupon the screw 20 may be readily removed while the arbor is thus held stationary.

The head 2 is provided on its free end with a thumb-piece 29, and this thumb-piece extends laterally outward from the head for a considerable distance in the same direction as the boss or projection 17, which forms the bearing of the cutting-disk arbor, said thumbpiece lying, preferably, entirely upon the same side of the meeting plane of the gage and head as does the cutter.

In cutting-tools of this description as beretofore constructed the support for the disk has always consisted of a fixed part-such, for instance, as the screw shown in my two prior patents hereinbefore referred to. In such a construction the cutting-disk revolves upon the part which supports it, and the bearing is necessarily limited to the thickness of the disk, which is formed of a comparatively thin sheet of steel. Owing to this construction, the disk has had an extremely narrow bearing, which readily and quickly wears and tends to produce a wabbling action ofthe disk, which prevents accuracy of cut. By reason of the construction which I have devised tbe disk is secured to an arbor which rotates along with the disk and which has an extended bearing which firmly supports the disk, so as to maintain itin the proper plane, and which is at the same time much more durable so far as wear is concerned. The construction is, moreover, such that the disk is entirely supported from one side, so that its free face may be maintained in the meeting plane of the head and gage without interfering with the proper bearing of these two parts upon each other and permitting said meeting plane to be made coincident `with the vertical straight edge of the guidestrip, which determines the line of travel of the tool. It will further be noted that the boss or projection which constitutes the bearing for the cutting-disk arbor also constitutes a handle, which may be grasped by the foreiinger while the thumb rests upon the thumb-plate, as indicated in Fig. 5, said thumb-plate and projection lying on the same side of the instrument and in proper relative position to be effectively and readily grasped to hold and guide the tool and exert the proper downward pressure on the head. It will be observed that this projection or boss is integral with the body of the bead or at least rigidly connected with the same and presents no part or parts movable relatively thereto. Heretofore in the construction shown in my prior patents hereinbefore referred to a projecting nut has been used to secure the screw which forms the cutting-disk support; but this projecting nut is not adapted to form a handle to be grasped by the fingers, for the reason that such grasping of the nut would tend to loosen and unscrew the same, and thereby loosen the cutting-disk support. In the construction which I have devised the boss or projection forms, in effect, the bandle, and the cutting-disk arbor has its bearing therein.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise details of construction bereinbefore described, and shown in the ac- IOO IIO

companying drawings, as the same may obviously be modified without departing from the principle ot' my invention. For instance, although I have shown my improvements as embodied in the type ot` cutter shown in Letters Patent No. 533,374 having a lift-spring mounted on the pivot connecting the head and gage it is evident that it is equally applicable to the type of cutting-tool shown in Patent No. 533,375, in which the lift-spring is located at the opposite end of the head from the pivot, and that it is also applicable to other forms of cutting-tool, either with or without lift-springs.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A cutting-tool comprising a gage, a head pivotally connected thereto, the meeting faces of the gage and head lyingin a vertical plane and being recessed as described, the head being provided with a bearing closed at its outer end to form a smooth guard and bearing for the end of the arbor, an arbor mounted in said bearing and projecting therefrom toward the meeting plane, and a cutting-disk secured on the projecting end of the arbor and lying within the recess of the head, with its cutting edge in the meeting plane, the recess of the gage being of less diameter than the cutting-disk, substantially as described.

2. A cutting-tool comprising a gage, a head pivotally connected therewith at one end and provided on its outer face with a hollow projection forming a handle, a cutting-disk having an arbor secured thereto and extending into said hollow handle, in which it has a bearing, said hollow projection having an externally-smooth and integrally-closed outer end forming a guard and bearing for the end of the arbor, and a thumb-piece located on the free end of the head, extending laterally therefrom in the same direction as the projecting handle, andlying on the same side of the meeting plane as the cutting-disk and handle, substantially as described.

3. A cutting-'tool comprising a gage, a head vertically movable relatively thereto, an arbor mounted to rotate in a bearing in said head and having its projecting end reduced in diameter to form a shoulder, the reduced portion being of less length than the thickness of the cutting-disk, a cutting-disk fitting over said reduced portion and bearing against the shoulder, and a screw passing through the cutting-disk and threaded into the end of the arbor, its head bearing against the eX- posed face of the cutting-disk to'clamp the same against the shoulder, substantially as described.

4. A cutting-tool comprising a gage, a head vertically movable relatively thereto and provided on its outer face with a sleeve-like projection forming a bearing, an arbor mounted to rotate in said bearing and having one of its ends projecting therefrom, a cutting-disk mounted on the projecting end of the arbor, a screw passing through the cutting-disk and threaded into the arbor to secure the disk to the arbor, and means for preventing the rotation of the arbor within the bearing to permit the removal of the screw, substantially as described.

5. A cutting-tool comprising a gage, a head vertically movable relatively thereto and provided on its outer face with a sleeve-like pro'- jection forming a bearing, an arbor mounted to rotate in said bearing and `having one of its ends projecting therefrom, a cutting-disk mounted on the projecting end of the arbor, a screw passing through the cutting-disk and threaded into the arbor to secure the disk to the arbor, said sleeve and arbor being provided with registering projections to receive a suitable locking device to prevent rotation of the arbor in the bearing and facilitate removal of the screw,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I atx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

r CHARLES T. RIDGELY.

Witnesses:

AL. I-I. KUNKLE, IRVINE MILLER. 

